Is the 650-horsepower Corvette Z06 the best sports/performance car over $50,000? Will the new Chevrolet Volt capture hearts as a family car?
Consumers often turn to vehicle reviews by automotive journalists to find out. But each of us might have a different opinion.
But what if 70 journalists get together for four days of back-to-back testing to choose a winner in different categories?
The Corvette and Volt are two of 41 vehicles that underwent testing by members of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada for the Canadian Car of the Year Awards last week.
For an automotive journalist, the event is the highlight of the year, with the opportunity to drive newly introduced vehicles back-to-back, on the same roads and under the same conditions to ensure objective evaluation.
The event, also called TestFest, is open to accredited members writing and reporting in all media in Canada. Journalists from print, television, video and web-based publications take part.
This year they gathered at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ont. The facility, about a two-hour drive from Toronto, is a world-class multi-track motorsport venue.
The hands-on event sees teams of journalists evaluate each vehicle in its class. The testing program includes driving on public roads and a closed track. The closed track differs with every group. The SUVs get an off-road course, the small and family vehicles a handling course and the high-performance vehicles get to stretch out their legs on a more aggressive racetrack.
Vehicles are rated in 21 separate evaluation parameters that include acceleration, braking, vehicle dynamics and manoeuvrability (and off-road capability, where applicable).
Every parameter, from driver-seat comfort to cargo capacity, is individually rated by secret ballot. The collected data is scored, analyzed and weighted to determine the winner of each category.
Those ballots are tabulated by accounting firm KPMG, with results revealed at various events in 2016.
There are nine categories to be judged: Small Car, Family Car, Sports/Performance under $50,000, Sports/Performance over $50,000, Presteige/Performance (over $75,000), SUV/CUV (under $35,000), SUV/CUV ($35,000 to $60,000), SUV/CUV (over $65,000) and Pickup. Participants also vote for the Green Car and Green Utility Vehicle of the Year.
Each journalist is initially assigned to cover three categories. Once they finish driving all the vehicles in their categories, they can take on as many others as they wish, time permitting.
This year there were 38 cars and SUVs and three trucks up for judging.
It's quite the sight, as each manufacturer supplies three identical vehicles for evaluation. While the sight of three Fiat 500Xs might not set the heart fluttering, the same number of Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S coupes, with potent 503-hp 4.0-litre V-8s under the hood, is another matter.
Although I have a soft spot for the new Smart ForTwo, the Honda Civic sedan looks like the winner in the Small Car segment. Other contenders include the Scion iM, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Jetta.
The Family Car file was limited this year to three entrants — the Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Sonata and VW Golf Sportwagon. My bet is in the Volt.
The Sports/Performance under $50,000 category was a real jumble, with the Mini John Cooper Works up against the Camaro LT, VW Golf R and Hyundai Veloster Turbo Rally in fixed tops and the Mazda MX-5 as the only convertible in the class. My favourite was firmly the Golf R, which exhibited exceptional poise on the racetrack.
Muscle-car buffs would warm to the menacing rumble of the Ford Shelby GT350, but the Corvette Z06 dominated with its 650 ponies. But the field also contained two four-door sedans — the Cadillac ATS-V and the Mercedes Benz AMG C63 S — and a luxury coupe, the Lexus RC 350. Voting in the Sports/Performance over $50,000 category was a real dilemma. Give the vote to pure raw power or elegant finesse?
Those with deep pockets only have four new entrants to choose from in the Prestige/Performance (over $75,000) category. The Cadillac CTS-V, Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S, the Porsche Cayman GT4 and the Lexus RC-F. While the AMG looks like the winner on paper and just on looks alone, my favourite was the Cayman due to its track-oriented character.
The popularity of SUVs and crossovers is reflected with a field of 16 new models this year. The sheer numbers meant they had to be broken up into three segments.
The under-$35,000 crowd consisted of the Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3 and Mitsubishi Outlander (with the 2.4-litre engine). The Jeep was by far the most capable on the off-road course, the Honda had the best all-round package and the CX-3 the most fun on the road. My impression is that this will be a tight race with the Jeep having an edge if voters consider off-road prowess important and the Honda and Mazda winning if the needs of soccer moms are considered.
The $35,000 to $60,000 SUV/CUV segment had one unusual vehicle — a Hyundai Tucson Fuel-Cell electric. How does one rate a vehicle that can only be refilled at two locations in Canada today? I gave it top marks for innovation and powertrain but average in every other category. The new BMW X1 was, in my opinion, the standout, with a well-sorted out chassis and excellent performance on and off the road. The other contenders includes the Honda Pilot, a conventional, gasoline-powered Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sorrento and a Lexus NX 200t F Sport.
The over-$60,000 crowd included the Lincoln MKX, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid and Volvo XC90. The Cayenne won my green vote. How many other vehicles can boast of blowing away the completion on one breath and creeping by just on electric power the next? The XC90, with its tablet-sized centre console screen, was perhaps the most cutting-edge, as far as infotainment technology was concerned.
General Motors doubled its bets in the Pickup category, by entering a diesel-powered GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Silverado. The only other entrant was the Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Double Cab.
Winners for each category will be announced at various events in the coming months.
The event was both exhausting and exhilarating. While I may eventually drive most of the vehicles on the list over the course of the year, the opportunity to drive them under the same conditions, sometimes minutes apart, is unparalleled.
The awards are also a valuable resource for consumers. They don't have to take the opinion of any one journalist to make a decision. They can rely on the sum total of votes by almost 35 professional automotive journalists on the same vehicle to make their buying decision.
For more information, go to ajac.ca.